The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-12-12

call louder as their god might be sound
asleep or gone n hunting. Job used 1t
when he said 10 his self-conceited COM
forters, Wisdom will die with you
Christ not only wsed IL in the text but
when he ironically complimented the
purified Pharisees, saying, The whole
need not a physician, and when by one
word he described the cunning of lierod,
saying, Go We and tell that fox Mat
thew Henry's commentaries, from the iirst
page to the last, coruscaicd with humor as
summer clouds with heat lightning. John
Bunyan's writings are as full OF humor as
they are OF saving truth, and there is not
an aged man here who has ever read Pill
grims Progress who does not remember
that while reading il he smiled as often as
he wept Chrysostom, George Herbert,
Robert South, John Wesley, George
-Whitefield, Jeremy TAYLOR Rowland llill,
Nettleton, George c. Finney, and all the
men of the past who greatly advanced the
kingdom OF God cons,cratcd their wit and
their humor to the cause OF Christ. No IL
has been IN all the ages, and ] say 81 these
Young theological students, who cluster
in these services sabbath by Sabbath,
sharpen your wits ~ keen as scymetas,
and then take them into this holy war.
at is very short bridge between q
smile and tear, suspension bridge from
eye 10 lip, and II is soon crossed over, and
u smile IL sometimes just ~ sacred rs %
tear. There is ~ much religion, and |
think q little more, in q spring morning
than in starlcss midnight. Religious
work without any humor or wit in II is u
banquet with a side of a beet and that
raw, and no condiments, and no desert
succeeding. People will not lit down at
such banquet. by all means remove all
frivolity and all bathos and all lightnoss
and all vulgarity strain them out through
the sieve OF holy discrimination; but, on
the other hand, beware Of that monster
which oyershadows the christian church
today, conventionality, coming up from
the Great Sahara desert oi Ecclcsiasticisin,
having ON lis back hump OF sanctimoni.
ous gloom, and yohcmcntly refuse to swal-
low that camel.
ooh, how particular q grrat many peo-
pie arr about the infni,crimals while they
are quite reckless about the magniludcs.
What did Christ say2 Did he not cXcori-
ate the people in his time who were ~
careful 10 wash their hands before meal,
but did not wash their hearts? II Is bad
thing TO have unclean hands; II is worse
thing 10 have an unclcan heart. How
many people there are in our Time who are
NfIN NlNibuN lllul Nllfi lIflF Ntlill lltN
shall he buried with their feet toward the
east, and not NJ all anxious that during
their whole life they should face in the
right direction 80 that they shall come up
in the resurrection OF the Just whichever
way they ar buried. How many there are
chiefly anxious that minister Of the gos.
pei shall come in the line OF apostolic sue
ccssion, not caring ~ much whether lac
comes from Apostolic Paul or Apostolic
Judas. They have way OF measuring "a
gnai until IL Is larger than q camel.
"Again. My subject photographs all
those who are ahhuTcnt OF small sins
while they are reckless In regard b. mag.
niilcont tllcitR. You will lind many mcr.
chant who, while hc is ~ careful that he
would not take a yarl at cloth or y spool Of
cotton fr0m the counter without paving
for II, and who, II hank cashier should
make a mistake and send IN a roll ri bills
- too much, would dispatch messenger
IN hot haste "a return the surplus, yet who
will go into stock company in which after
awhile hc g'ts control 81 the stock, aud
then waters the stock and makes 500 900
appear like SsOO.OOO lie only stole slOO,-
900 by the operation. Many oi The men of
fortune made their wealth in that way.
One Of those men. engaged in such un.
righteous acts that evening, the even
ing Of the very day when Ee Wutcrcd
the stock will find a Nhuil rat steal
ing a newspaper lpm the basement
doorway and will 90 out aud catch the
urchin by ile collar aud twist tho collar
30 tightly the poor fellow cannot say that
IL was Thirst for know ledge that lcd linn Ia
the dishonest act, but grip the collar
tighter, saying, 4 have been looking Tor
youa long willie, YOU W stole my paper four
ar five times, haven't yuu2 YOU miserable
witch And then the uid stock gambler,
with voice they can hou three blocks.
will cry ont, Police, police That lamc
man, the evening Of the day IN whirh he
waicrcd the stock, will kncel with Il o IAN.
lily VA prayers and thank tod iot thr pros.
pcriiy Of the day, then kis. his children
good night With an .ar which sccms Ia
ray. 4 hope YOU will ~ grow up 90 boz 10
good ~ your father Prisons l0r sins in
rociilc IN size, but palaccs for crimc
dfurncllrian. No mvu-y iu ,iHs sH.ma.
culc in Proportion, but Great lcnicncy III
inasiodun iniquity. 4 Itupr hoy slyly lake
from the basket IT u market woman
choke pear saving some one else from
tn cholera aud Nuu smother linn Il
the horrible atmosphere oi Ray
mond slr'ct Jail or New lorl
ToInls. While hh cousin. who has beet
Hkiliul enough IN steal $1,000 ium th
city, YOU will make q candidate lor th
New York LEGISLATURE
There N great deaf ul unCasincss anl
NERVOUSNESS now among some people II
our time who have gotten nnghicou
fortunes, great deal ol NERVOUSNESS ahou
dynamite ] tell thpm that God will pu
under their untirhisous fortunes some
thing muw explosive than dynamite. III
earthquake oi his omnitufcnt indignation
II IL time that We learn in America th1
sln h not cNcusahlc in proportion ~ it u,
claftf large dividends und has uutIidcu j
Cqulpag,'. MANY " man b riding ~ pcrd
tion. position ahead and lackcy hchin,
To steal one copy oi q newspaper y u gnu
90 steal many thousands Of d0lllH h
camel There Il many a fruit dealer gh
would not consent 10 steal u basket
peaches from q neighbours stall, but VII
would not rcruple 10 drpr'si thc fruit ua
kot. aud as long ~ | can remember "
have heard every summer The peach en-
Of Maryland Is a failure, and by the tin
the crop comes in tie miswppaoniatiO
makes a difference Oi millions Of dollar
A man Who would not steal one pcaC
basket steals bO,OO0 ponch baskets. q
down IN the summer time into the Me
camille library, IN tie radinr.ru0ms, au
pee tie newspaper reports OF the Crul
from all pgrH Of the country, and thc
phrrcoluyy b vvry much the same, ar
the same men wrote thcm, mcihodical
and UNANIMOUSLY carrying out the hu.
lying about the grain crop from year
year and Tor scorc II ycan. After